Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for again articulating people's genuine concerns. As public representatives, it is important that we highlight that the redesigned bus network for Dublin was finalised following three rounds of extensive public consultations. This culminated in over 72,000 submissions being received. Part of the difficulty that I experience in Cork, and I am sure that Deputies Cummins and Devine are the same in their area, is that there needs to be extensive engagement, active listening and participation by all the residents, us as public representatives and the NTA. BusConnects is about transforming public transport. We all share that. There is no argument there. Passenger numbers are increasing. I have been informed that for residents in Inchichore along the G spine, the wait time between the high-frequency buses has significantly dropped, maybe in part because of the active engagement by residents. Bus reliability has improved as a result of this redesign.

I understand that the changes proposed to the bus services in Inchichore are causing concerns. Some of those can be alleviated and can be addressed. The issue relates to the geography of the bus route, the frequency and the connections. That is part of what the public consultation must be about. The Deputy and residents bring knowledge that engineers, with the best will in the world, do not necessarily have. Having a map and going through a particular area sounds greats, looks great and reads great, but it is about the day-to-day practicalities. I am confident that the NTA, which has committed to writing to representatives, can address the matter.

This is about a modernisation and improvement of our overall transport network. It is about increasing capacity, frequency and coverage across Dublin and other cities and ensuring that we do not discommode people. Obviously, everybody will not get what they want but in this case, it is about working to bring a solution that is practical. I again thank Deputy Cummins for raising the matter. I assure her that I will bring her comments back to the NTA.

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